PADUCAH LASER ENRICHMENT URANIUM CAN’T BE USED FOR NAT’L SECURITY

Following the Department of Energy’s recent decision to enter into talks with Global Laser Enrichment about potentially building a plant at the Paducah site, the company confirmed yesterday material run through the plant could not be used for national security purposes. GLE is proposing to enrich a portion of the Department’s stockpile of depleted uranium hexafluoride tails up to natural uranium levels. Competitor USEC has pitched itself as the only firm able to be a domestic source of enriched uranium for tritium production and naval reactors, due to peaceful use restrictions on foreign technology. “None of the material that GLE produces could be used for national security purposes,” GLE spokesman Chris White said yesterday. “In treaties with Australia we are prohibited from using GLE for anything other than peaceful purposes.”